Devices and methods for leveling and orienting trail cameras

ABSTRACT

Devices and methods are provided for leveling and orienting a trail camera mounted to a stationary object such as tree. For example, a device for leveling and orienting a trail camera includes a housing element comprising a first cavity and a second cavity formed in an upper surface of the housing element, a compass mounted in the first cavity of the housing element, wherein the compass is configured for use in directionally orienting the trail camera in a target direction, and a bubble level mounted in the second cavity of the housing element. The housing element includes at least one flat surface which is placed against a flat surface of a trail camera housing to determine a level position of the trail camera housing using the bubble level.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/350,482, filed on Jun. 17, 2021, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,601,593, whichclaims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/929,242, filed onJul. 15, 2020, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 62/971,931, filed on Feb. 8, 2020, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to techniques for leveling andorienting trail cameras.

BACKGROUND

Trail cameras are cameras that are used for various purposes such ashunting or game surveillance. In general, trail cameras haveweather-resistant, airtight camera housings, which are designed forextended and unmanned use outdoors to record images (e.g., stillphotographs or videos) of wildlife and game. While trail cameras can beuseful to hunters for various purposes such as pre-season scouting todetermine where game is located, capturing frameable images forcollection, etc., most users of trail cameras do not know how toproperly position a trail camera to capture good images. Indeed, hunterstypically do not take into account the negative aspects of impropertrail camera orientation and positioning. For example, users of trailcameras neglect to position their trail camera away from sun rays thatemanate from eastern, western and southern directions, wherein excessiveglare into the camera lens can result in white-washed or low-grade photoquality. Indeed, when sunlight directly or indirectly strikes the lensof the trail camera, the light is scattered, and sun flare is produced.The sun flare manifests itself in the captured images as sunbursts,circles and/or as a haze. In addition, excessive sun glare can result inconstant tripping of a passive infrared (PIR) motion sensor of the trailcamera in the early morning and afternoon hours. In this regard, toavoid the negative effects of sun glare in the trail camera lens, it isdesirable to position a trail camera south of the intended targetimaging area and facing in a northerly direction. Furthermore, theunlevel positioning of a trail camera result in the generation ofphotographs with a tilted horizon, which can be displeasing to view andresult in a non-picturesque image.

SUMMARY

Exemplary embodiments of the disclosure generally include devices andmethods for leveling and orienting trail cameras that can be mounted tostationary objects such as trees.

For example, in one exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, a device forleveling and orienting a trail camera comprises: a housing elementcomprising a first cavity and a second cavity formed in an upper surfaceof the housing element; a compass mounted in the first cavity of thehousing element, wherein the compass is configured for use indirectionally orienting the trail camera in a target direction; and abubble level mounted in the second cavity of the housing element;wherein the housing element comprises at least one flat surface which isplaced against a flat surface of a trail camera housing to determine alevel position of the trail camera housing using the bubble level.

In another embodiment, a method is provided for mounting a trail camerato a fixed object. The method comprises utilizing a device to level andorient the trail camera, wherein the device comprises: a housing elementcomprising a first cavity and a second cavity formed in an upper surfaceof the housing element; a magnetic compass mounted in the first cavityof the housing element, wherein the compass is configured for use indirectionally orienting the trail camera in a target direction; and abubble level mounted in the second cavity of the housing element. Thedevice is utilized to level and orient the trail camera by a processwhich comprises: utilizing the compass of the device to position thetrail camera to face toward a target direction; placing the deviceagainst a flat surface of a housing of the trail camera; and maneuveringthe trail camera into a level position as indicated by the bubble level,while the device is placed against the flat surface of the housing ofthe trail camera.

In another embodiment, a trail camera comprises a protective housing, atleast one bubble level integrally disposed on or within a surface of theprotective housing, and a magnetic compass integrally disposed on orwithin a surface of the protective housing.

These and other exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure willbecome apparent from the following detailed description of exemplaryembodiments, which is to be read in conjunction with the accompanyingfigures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views of a device for leveling andorienting a trail camera, according to an embodiment of the disclosure,wherein FIG. 1A is a top view of the device and FIG. 1B is a perspectiveside view of the device.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a trail camera which can be leveled anddirectionally orientated using the device of FIGS. 1A and 1B.

FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C schematically illustrate a method of using thedevice of FIGS. 1A and 1B for leveling and directionally orienting atrail camera mount, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a trail camera having a compass elementand bubble level elements which are integrally formed, or otherwisemounted to, a protective case of the trail camera, according to anembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates an electronic system of a trail camerawhich implements digital circuity that is configured to sense anddisplay directional orientation and level position information for thetrail camera, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a trail camera which comprises anelectronic system that is configured to electronically sense and displaydirectional orientation and level position information for the trailcamera, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates a method for displaying directionalorientation information of a trail camera, according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure.

FIGS. 8A and 8B schematically illustrate methods for displaying levelposition information of a trail camera, according to embodiments of thedisclosure.

FIG. 9 schematically illustrates a system that is configured to enablewireless access to directional orientation and level positioninformation of a trail camera, according to an embodiment of thedisclosure.

FIG. 10 schematically illustrates an electronic system of a wirelesstrail camera which implements circuitry that is configured to sense anddisplay directional orientation and level position information for thewireless trail camera and to wirelessly transmit such information to acomputing device of a user, according to an embodiment of thedisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the disclosure will now be described in furtherdetail with regard to devices, systems, and methods for leveling andorienting trail cameras when mounting trail cameras to stationaryobjects such as trees.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views of a device 100 for leveling andorienting a trail camera, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.FIG. 1A is a top view of the device 100 and FIG. 1B is a perspectiveside view of the device 100. The device 100 comprises a housing element110 which is structurally and dimensionally configured with cavities inwhich a bubble level 120 and a compass 130 can be fixedly inserted tohold the bubble level 120 and compass 130. The device 100 furthercomprises an optional adapter element 140 which comprises a flangeelement 142 and a stub element 144, which are disposed on the backsidesurface 118 of the housing 110. As explained in further detail below,the adapter element 140 is configured for use with bracket-type trailcameras in which a bracket element is first mounted to a fixed object(e.g., a tree) and the trail camera is mounted to the bracket. Theadapter element 140 allows an individual to level and orientate a trailcamera bracket prior to installing the trail camera to the bracket. Insome embodiments, the housing element 110 comprises single integratedelement that may be made of any suitable materials such as plastics orcomposite materials that are weather resistant, and manufactured usingsuitable techniques such as injection molding, for example, or by CNCmachining techniques.

The housing element 110 comprises sidewalls having flat portions 112 (orplanar sidewall portions) and contoured portions 114, a flat bottomportion 116 (planar bottom portion), and a flat backside surface 118.The contoured portions 114 provide an ergonomic configuration thatallows a user to readily hold the device 100 using a thumb and pointerfinger. The bottom portion 116 further comprises an optional cut-outgroove 150 which extends from one side to an opposing side of thehousing element 110. In accordance with embodiments of the disclosure,the planar sidewall portions 112 and flat bottom portion 116 providesurfaces which can be placed against flat surfaces of a trail camerahousing for purposes of leveling the trail camera by viewing the bubblelevel 120 while maneuvering the trail camera into a level position. Inaddition, the compass 130 is utilized to ensure that the trail camera isfacing in a target direction (e.g., northward direction).

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a trail camera 200 which can be leveledand directionally orientated using the device 100 of FIGS. 1A and 1B.The trail camera 200 comprises a housing 210 (e.g., protective case)comprising an upper surface 210-1 and side surfaces 210-2. The trailcamera 200 further comprises a camera lens 220 for a visible lightcamera, one or more light sensors 222, a plurality of infrared (IR)light emitting diodes (LEDs) 230, and a passive infrared (PIR) motiondetector 240 comprising a lens element 242, e.g., a Fresnel lenselement. The housing 210 is essentially a protective case which providesan inner compartment to house the trail camera elements including, forexample, a visible light camera, PIR motion detector circuitry, LEDdriver circuity, a display screen, control buttons, and other componentsthat are commonly included with trail cameras. The trail camera 200comprises a cover element 250 which is hingedly connected to the housing210 by a hinge element 252. The cover element 250 can be opened toaccess the control buttons and the display screen, which collectivelyprovide user interfaces to control settings and functions of the trailcamera, view captured images on the display screen, and perform otherstandard functions of trail cameras.

For illustrative purposes, a brief description will now be provided ofvarious features and functionalities that can be implemented by thetrail camera 200. As is known in the art, the PIR motion detector 240comprises an infrared radiation sensor element and associated detectioncircuitry, which is mounted to a printed circuit board within the trailcamera 200. The PIR motion sensor 240 is configured to detect thermalsignatures of objects in a detection area in front of the trail camera200 (by sensing the thermal infrared radiation emitted from suchobjects), and detecting motion of objects in the detection area inresponse to detecting relative changes in the thermal infrared radiationover the detection area. The lens element 242 of the PIR motion detector240 is typically implemented as a Fresnel lens element. In thisinstance, the lens element 242 comprises a curved plastic element whichcomprises an array of Fresnel lenses, where each lens is configured tofocus thermal infrared radiation which is captured in differentdetection zones within the detection area. The detection angle of thePIR motion detector 240 is primarily determined by the design of theFresnel lens cover 242.

The trail camera 200 comprises a digital camera which is configured tocapture digital images and digital video. The digital camera comprises avisible light imager and associated image processing circuitry that ismounted to the printed circuit board of the trail camera 200. Thedigital camera can be configured to capture single still digital images,bursts of still digital images, and/or video. The camera lens 220 isconfigured to focus light to the visible light imager within the housing210. The camera lens 220 can be a fixed focal-length lens that providesa specific field of view, or the camera lens 220 can be auser-changeable lens that allows a user to change the lens to providewide angle or narrow angle viewing, as desired.

The infrared LEDs 230 are configured to emit infrared light to providelight (e.g., flash illumination) for capturing digital images and/ordigital video in low light or dark conditions (e.g., at night). When adigital image is captured or when a video is taken at night (or in lowlight conditions), the infrared LEDs 230 are activated to provide lightfor the exposure. The light sensors 222 (e.g., photodetectors) andassociated light detection circuitry are configured to detect a level ofambient light in the environment and generate a control signal to causethe infrared LEDs 230 to be activated when the level of ambient light isbelow a given threshold level at a time when a digital image or video isbeing taken.

In some trail cameras, the infrared LEDs 230 are configured to emit agiven wavelength of infrared light, which results in black and whiteimages, or slightly tinted shades of green or red. For example, theinfrared LEDs 230 can may be low-glow infrared LEDs or no-glow infraredLEDs, which emit infrared light at wavelengths that are above thevisible light spectrum and cannot be readily seen by animals and thus,will not startle animals being photographed. Low-glow infrared flashesoperate slightly above the visible light spectrum and emit infraredlight at wavelengths in the range of about 732 nm to 850 nm, which canbe seen by humans and animals as a faint red glow light. On the otherhand, no-glow infrared flashes operate above the visible light spectrumand emit infrared light at wavelengths in the range of about 864 nm to940 nm, which cannot be seen by humans and animals (e.g., providing astealth flash). Some trail cameras utilize white-light LEDs which areconfigured to emit white light flash illumination for capturing colorimages and videos at night, but white flash illumination is nottypically used as the white light can scare an animal and cause it toflee. The visible light imager that is used for the digital camera isconfigured to detect and capture infrared light at the wavelengthsemitted by the low-glow or no-glow infrared LEDs 230 so that goodquality images and videos can be captured at night under the flashillumination emitted from the infrared LEDs 230.

In general, the trail camera 200 is configured to operate in a “sleepstate” or “stand-by mode” during times when no digital images or videosare being taken. When the PIR motion detector 240 detects motion, thetrail camera “wakes up” and various functions are triggered. Suchfunctions include, but are not limited to, detecting ambient lightlevels, activating the infrared LEDs 230 for flash illumination (ifambient light levels are low), activating the camera shutter, capturingone or more digital images or video under control of the cameraelectronics, storing the captured digital images or video on a SD(secure digital) card, etc. The trail camera then returns to stand-bymode until a next trigger event of the PIR motion detector 240.

The manufacturers of trail cameras provide protective cases with varioustypes of mounting mechanisms, depending on the given design. Forexample, in some designs, a trail camera can be mounted to an object bybolting or screwing the protective case to the object (e.g., a tree orpost). In other designs, a trail camera can be mounted to an objectusing a strap or chain, etc. wherein the trail camera is essentiallystrapped or chained to tree or post. With these mounting mechanisms, theprotective cases are generally square or rectangular in shape and haveflat sides. In this regard, the device 100 of FIGS. 1A and 1B can beutilized for leveling and directionally orienting the trail camera 200when screwing or strapping the protective case 210 of the trail camera200 to a stationary object such as a tree or post.

For example, as noted above, the compass 130 is utilized to determinewhich side of the object (e.g., tree or post) is facing the desireddirection (e.g., northward direction) so that when the trail camera 200is mounted to the object, the lens 220 of the camera is facing in thedesired direction (e.g., northward direction). Next, when mounting theprotective case 210 to the object, the bubble level 120 of the device100 can be used to ensure that the protective case is placed in a levelposition before screwing, bolting, strapping, or otherwise securing theprotective case 210 of the trail camera 200 to the object.

In one embodiment, leveling can be performed by placing one of theplanar sidewall portions 112 of the device 100 against one of the flatsidewall surfaces 210-2 of the protective case 210 of the trail camera200, and viewing the bubble level 120 while maneuvering the protectivecase 210 of the trail camera 200 into a vertically level position (i.e.,vertically level with respect to the sides of the protective case 210).Similarly, if desired, leveling can be performed by placing one of theplanar sidewall portions 112 of the device 100 against a flat portion ofthe front side surface of the protective case 210 of the trail camera200, and viewing the bubble level 120 while maneuvering the protectivecase 210 of the trail camera 200 into a vertical level position (i.e.,vertically level with respect to the front and back sides of theprotective case 210).

It is to be noted, however, that in some instances, an individual maymount the trail camera 200 to an object at an elevated position, andthen have the front-side of the trail camera 200 pointing in adownwardly direction such that the front-side of the trail camera 200 isnot vertically level. In this instance, the bubble level 120 can also beutilized to estimate or otherwise determine through delineated markingson the bubble level 120, the degree to which the front-side of the trailcamera is non-level and the angle of downward direction to which thetrail camera is directionally orientated. In any event, when the trailcamera 200 is placed in a high position on or tree or post, and isfacing downward, the front-to-back (vertical) level position is not asimportant as the side-to-side (horizontal) level position, as pointingthe camera down at an angle diminishes the detection range, causing theintended target to be closer to the trail camera, which may bringunwanted attention to the flash illumination emitted from the infraredLEDs 230. It is preferable to place the trail camera 200 at a height ofabout 3 feet to about 4 feet from the ground, with both horizontal andvertical leveling.

In another embodiment, leveling can be performed by placing the flatbottom side 116 of the device 100 against the upper surface 210-1 of theprotective case 210 of the trail camera 200 with the ends of the bubblelevel 120 facing the opposing sidewalls 210-2 of the protective case210, and viewing the bubble level 120 while maneuvering the protectivecase 210 of the trail camera 200 into a vertically level position (i.e.,vertically level with respect to the sides 210-2 of the protective case210). In this instance, when the protective case 210 comprises a ribelement or flange element on the upper surface 210-1 of the protectivecase 210, the flat bottom side 116 of the device 100 can be placed onthe upper surface 210-1 of the protective case 210 with the cut-outgroove 150 disposed over the rib or flange element so that the device100 lays flat on the upper surface 210-1 of the protective case 210.

In other embodiments, as noted above, the adapter element 140 of thedevice 100 is configured for use with bracket-type trail cameras inwhich a bracket element is first mounted to a fixed object (e.g., atree) and the trail camera is mounted to the bracket. The adapterelement 140 allows an individual to directionally orientate and level atrail camera bracket prior to installing the trail camera to thebracket. Various types of camera mounts exist which include gimbal, ballbearings to provide additional angles on a longitude and latitude planefrom a fixed position. Such mounts support trail cameras with threadedinserts allows the trail cameras to be rotate 360 degrees and be tiltedup and down about 120 degrees, with simple designs of screwing thecamera mounts directly into trees.

FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3B schematically illustrate a method of using thedevice 100 for leveling and directionally orienting a camera mount,according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 3A is a perspectiveview which shows a trail camera mounting bracket 300 connected to atree, wherein the mounting bracket 300 comprises a slotted bracketmember 302 which comprises an elongated slot 304. The elongated slot 304is configured to engage a mounting stub that is disposed on the backsideof a trail camera protective case to connect the trail camera to themounting bracket 300. In this embodiment, the device 100 is utilized todirectionally orientate and level the mounting bracket 300 beforescrewing the mounting bracket to the tree, as shown in FIG. 3A.

In particular, FIGS. 3B and 3C schematically illustrate a method forslideably mounting the adapter element 140 of the device 100 to theslotted bracket member 302. FIG. 3B shows illustrates an initialposition of the device 100 where the adapter element 140 is positionedat an open end of the elongated slot 304. As shown in FIG. 3B, the stubelement 144 of the adapter 140 comprises opposing flat sidewalls 144-1which define a width W that is substantially the same as the width W ofthe elongated slot 304 at a closed end of the elongated slot 304. FIG.3C illustrates a final position of the device 100 where the adapterelement 140 is positioned at the closed end (bottom end) of theelongated slot 304. This is achieved by inserting the stub element 144of the adapter 140 into the open end of the elongated slot 304 with theslotted bracket member 302 disposed between the flat backside 118 of thedevice 100 and the wide flange element 142 of the adaptor 140, and thensliding the device 100 down to the bottom end of the elongated slot 304.

In this configuration as shown in FIG. 3C, the wide flange element(which is wider than the width W of the slot 304, holds the flatbackside 118 of the device 100 against the front face of the slottedbracket member 302, while the opposing flat sidewalls 144-1 of the stubelement 144 keep the device 100 in a fixed position/orientation bypreventing the device 100 from rotating with the adaptor element 140engaged with slotted bracket member 302. Furthermore, in theconfiguration shown in FIGS. 3C, the device 100, and thus the bubblelevel 120, is positioned “square” with a vertical longitudinal axis ofthe slotted bracket member 302, which allows the slotted bracket member302 to be vertically leveled using the bubble level 120.

As shown in FIG. 3A, with the device 100 mounted to the slotted bracketmember 302 of the mounting bracket 300, the compass 130 of the device100 is utilized to determine which side of the tree (or other stationaryobject) is facing a desired direction (e.g., northward direction) sothat when the trail camera 200 is mounted to the object, the lens 220 ofthe visible light camera and the flash illumination IR LEDs 230 arefacing in the desired direction (e.g., northward direction). Once theproper location is determined, an individual can place the mountingbracket 300 in a vertical position against the side of the tree and viewthe bubble level 120 while maneuvering the mounting bracket 300 into avertical level position.

It is to be understood that the device 100 of FIGS. 1A and 1B can beutilized with other types of mounting brackets. For example, some trailcamera mounting brackets provide an elaborate tripod, and pan-tiltmechanism which comprises an element that is the same or similar to theslotted bracket member 302 as shown in FIGS. 3A-3C, wherein the slottedbracket member 302 is coupled to a tripod socket mechanism, wherein thetripod socket mechanism is screwed to, e.g., a tree or post, and whereinthe tripod socket mechanism is configured to adjust the slotted bracketmember 302 in three dimensions.

In another embodiment, a trail camera can be directionally orientatedand leveled using bubble levels and a compass element that areintegrated with the protective housing. For example, FIG. 4schematically illustrates a trail camera 400 having a compass elementand bubble level elements which are integrally formed, or otherwisemounted to, a protective case 210 of the trail camera 400. Inparticular, the trail camera 400 of FIG. 4 is similar to the trailcamera 200 of FIG. 2 , except that the trail camera 400 comprises acompass element 410 which is integrally formed on or within the uppersurface 210-1 of the protective case 210 to allow an individual todirectionally orientate the trail camera 400. In addition, the trailcamera 400 comprises a first bubble level 420 which is disposed on, orwithin, the sidewall 210-2 of the protective case 210 to allow anindividual to vertically level the front and back sides of theprotective case 210. Further, the trail camera 400 comprises a secondbubble level 430 which is disposed on, or within, a frontside surface(e.g., hinged cover 250) of the protective case 210 to allow anindividual to vertically level the sidewalls 210-2 of the protectivecase 210. It is to be understood that the positions of the compasselement 410 and bubble levels 420 and 430 as shown in FIG. 4 are merelyan illustrative example for positioning such elements, and that suchelements can be disposed in other areas of the protective case 210. Forexample, in some embodiments, the protective case 210 can have acircular bubble level disposed on, or within, the upper surface 210-1which allows the trail camera 400 to be leveled side-to-side andfront-to-back using the single circular bubble level.

In other embodiments of the disclosure, a trail camera can be designedwith digital level and compass circuitry with proper user interfaces toallow users to directionally orientate and level the trail camera usingdigitally displayed level and directional orientation information. Forexample, FIG. 5 schematically illustrates an electronic system of atrail camera which implements digital circuity that is configured tosense and display directional orientation and level position informationfor the trail camera, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.Referring to FIG. 5 , the electronic system 500 comprises a circuitboard 510 which comprises various integrated circuit (IC) chips andelectronic components such as one or more processors 511, visible lightcamera circuity 512 (e.g., imager and read-out circuity), infrared LEDdriver circuitry 513, digital level circuitry 514, digital compasscircuitry 515, PIR motion sensor circuitry 516, and memory 517 (volatileand non-volatile memory), which are connected using one or more internalbusses 518 (e.g., system bus, frontside bus, expansion bus, and/orothers suitable types of hardware busses) and associated bridges. Inaddition, the electronic system 500 comprises an electronic display 520(e.g., liquid crystal display (LCD)) to display various types of controlinformation and captured images, etc., control buttons 530 to controlfunctionality and operation of the trail camera, and a removable memorycard 540 (e.g., SD card) to provide added storage for captured imagesand video files.

The processors 511 comprise one or more types of hardware processorsthat are configured to process program instructions and data to executea native operating system (OS) and program code that is executed by theprocessor 511 to implements various functions of a trail camera. Theprocessors 511 may comprise one or more central processing units (CPUs),a microprocessor, a microcontroller, an application-specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and other typesof processors, as well as portions or combinations of such processors.The term “processor” as used herein is intended to be broadly construedso as to include any type of processor that performs processingfunctions based on software, hardware, firmware, etc.

The memory 517 comprises various types of memory such as volatilerandom-access memory (RAM) (e.g., dynamic RAM), non-volatilerandom-access memory (NVRAM), or other types of memory, in anycombination. The memory 517 comprises “system memory” which comprisesvolatile and/or non-volatile memory that is used to store applicationprogram instructions that are read and processed by the processors 511to execute the trail camera OS and one or more programs or processes toimplement the various functionalities of the trail camera, and totemporarily store data that is utilized and/or generated by the OS andapplication programs being executed by the processor. In addition, thememory 517 provides persistent memory to persistently storeconfiguration and/or control settings of the trail camera, which areused to control and implement functions of the trail camera which areexecuted by, or under control of, the processors 511. The memory 517 canbe implemented using a flash memory device, an SSD (solid state drive)device, or other types and combinations of non-volatile memory devices,which are suitable for the given application.

The visible light camera circuitry 512, and the PIR motion sensorcircuity 516 are implemented using known imagers and sensors (e.g.,visible light imagers, thermal IR sensors, etc.), associated read-outcircuity, and IR sensor processing circuity commonly implemented intrail cameras. The infrared LED driver circuitry 513 comprises, or isotherwise responsive to control signals generated by, light detectioncircuitry (e.g., photodetectors and associated control/detectioncircuity) that is configured to detect a level of ambient light in theenvironment that is captured by the light sensors 222, and generate acontrol signal to cause the infrared LEDs 230 to be activated when thelevel of ambient light is below a given threshold level at a time when adigital image or video is being taken.

In some embodiments, the digital level circuitry 514 and digital compasscircuitry 515 are implemented using commercially available, orproprietary state-of-the-art, digital level and orientation sensingtechnologies. For example, in some embodiments, the digital compasscircuity 515 is implemented using magnetic sensor technology ormagneto-inductive technology which is configured to electronically senseand the earth's magnetic field to determine directional orientation. Thedigital level circuity 514 can be implemented using, for example, anysuitable electronic inclinometer sensor technology which is configuredto electronically sense the inclination, slope or tilt of an object. Forexample, in some embodiments, an accelerometer sensor can be utilized toimplement an electronic level using known techniques. In someembodiments, the digital level circuity 514 is implemented to enableside-to-side leveling of the trail camera and front-to-back leveling ofthe trail camera.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a trail camera 600 which comprises anelectronic system that is configured to electronically sense and displaydirectional orientation and level position information for the trailcamera, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. In someembodiments, the trail camera 600 implements the electronic system 500shown in FIG. 5 to implement various camera functions including digitalcircuity for sensing and displaying directional orientation and levelposition information for the trail camera 600. FIG. 6 illustrates anexemplary embodiment of the trail camera 200 of FIG. 2 with the coverelement 250 opened to show a control interface 610 comprising an LCDscreen 612, and various control buttons 614 and 616 to control settingsand functions of the trail camera. The control button 614 comprises asliding button that can be slideably moved from an “OFF” position (wherethe trail camera 600 is turned off) to other positions to performfunctions such as, e.g., (i) “Direction” to sense and display adirectional orientation of the trail camera 600, (ii) “Level” to senseand display level information of the trail camera 600, (iii) “Start” tostart an automatic image capture mode and (iv) “Playback” to playbackcaptured images, etc. In other embodiments, the leveling and directionmodes can be selectively activated by utilizing the control buttons 616to toggle through operational modes of the trail camera which aredisplayed on the LCD screen 612 and selecting a desired operational mode(e.g., level mode, direction mode, etc.) using a select (SEL) button ofthe control buttons 616.

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates a method for displaying directionalorientation information of a trail camera, according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure. In particular, FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary mode ofoperation of the trail camera 600 of FIG. 6 in the “Direction”operational mode to sense and display a directional orientation of thetrail camera 600. In the “Direction” mode, the LCD screen 612 candisplay an indicator 700 (e.g., “Camera Direction”) to provide anindication to the user that the trail camera 600 is in a “Direction”sensing mode. In the Direction sensing mode, a virtual compass 702 canbe displayed to visually illustrate a directional orientation of thetrail camera 600 with respect to a displayed pointer 704. In addition tothe virtual compass 720 (or alternative to the virtual compass 702), theLCD screen 610 can display textual direction information 706 toillustrate a directional orientation of the trail camera 600. Inaddition, as an optional feature, a textual suggestion 708 can bedisplayed to remind the user that that best image capturing results canbe obtained by facing the trail camera 600 in a northerly direction. Itis to be understood that FIG. 7 illustrates non-limiting exemplaryembodiments for displaying camera direction information on the LCDscreen 612, and that other techniques can be implemented for renderingand displaying direction information on the LCD screen 612.

FIGS. 8A and 8B schematically illustrate methods for displaying levelposition information of a trail camera, according to embodiments of thedisclosure. In particular, FIG. 8A illustrates an exemplary mode ofoperation of the trail camera 600 of FIG. 6 in the “Level” mode to senseand display the levelness of the trail camera 600. In some embodiments,in the “Level” mode, the LCD screen 612 can display an indicator 800(e.g., “Level Position”) to provide an indication to the user that thetrail camera 600 is in the “Level” mode. In the “Level” mode, afront-back indicator 810 can be displayed to show the degree oflevelness (or non-levelness) of the trail camera 600 relative to thefront and back side surfaces of the trail camera 600. In addition, aside-side indicator 820 can be displayed to show the degree of levelness(or non-levelness) of the trail camera 600 relative to the sides of thetrail camera 600. In other embodiments, the level position information(side-to-side and/or back-to-front) can be displayed using virtualbubble levels in which virtual bubble levels are displayed inconjunction with numerical values or graphics which indicate pitch andlevel.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8A, the level indication can beillustrated by displaying fixed solid lines 812 (F-B) and 822 (L-R)which provide level reference indicators (e.g., azimuth horizon), andmovable dashed lines 814 and 824 which indicate the degree ofnon-levelness of the trail camera 600 with respect to the fixedreference lines 812 and 822. In addition, numerical values 816 and 826can be displayed to provide an indication of the degree of inclinationof the font-back and side-side relative to the fixed level lines 812 and822. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 8A, the front-back levelinformation 810 shows that the front surface (F) of the trail camera isfacing downward at an angle of 35 degrees relative to the referencelevel 812, and that the right side (R) of the trail camera is tilteddownward at an angle of 15 degrees relative to the reference level 822.It is to be understood that FIG. 8A illustrates non-limiting exemplaryembodiments for displaying camera level information on the LCD screen612, and that other techniques can be implemented for rendering anddisplaying level information on the LCD screen 612.

For example, FIG. 8B illustrates an exemplary mode of operation of thetrail camera 600 of FIG. 6 in the “Level” mode to sense and display thelevelness of the trail camera 600, wherein first and second virtualbubble levels 830 and 840 can be displayed to visually showfront-to-back levelness and side-to-side levelness, respectively. Inother embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8B, a single virtual bubble level850 can be displayed which visually illustrates both front-to-backlevelness and side-to-side levelness. In particular, the single virtualbubble level 850 comprises a circular bull's eye bubble level whichallows for leveling of planes in two dimensions.

It is to be understood that the type of level information anddirectional information that is displayed on the LCD screen 612 can varydepending on the resolution and/or size of the LCD screen 612. Forexample, some trail cameras have low grade, low resolution and smallsize LCD screens which are not designed to display images, and which areconfigured to display low resolution textual characters. In this regard,the direction information that is display on such LCD screens can belimited to, e.g., the textual direction information 706 of FIG. 7 . Inaddition, level information that is displayed on small, low resolutionLCD screens can be limited to, e.g., the numerical values 816 and 826 ofFIGS. 8A and 8B which provide an indication of the degree of inclinationof the font-back and side-side relative to a fixed reference level(e.g., either horizontal or vertical reference).

In other embodiments of the disclosure, the device 100 of FIGS. 1A and1B can include an electronic level and an electronic compass instead ofthe physical bubble levels 120 and physical magnetic compass 130elements. In this regard, the device 100 could have digital levelcircuitry and digital compass circuitry, a battery, and a small LCDscreen, and a microprocessor to render and display level and orientationinformation on the small LCD screen, using methods as discussed herein.

In other embodiments of the disclosure, trail cameras are configured toallow users to wirelessly access and control their trail cameras throughan application user interface that is rendered on a computing device orsystem apart from the trail camera. In such embodiments, the applicationuser interface is configured with functionality that allows a user towirelessly access directional orientation and level position informationfrom the user's trail camera, and display or otherwise render suchdirectional orientation and level position information on the user'scomputing device. For example, FIG. 9 schematically illustrates a systemthat is configured to enable wireless access to directional orientationand level position information of a trail camera, according to anembodiment of the disclosure.

More specifically, FIG. 9 illustrates a system 900 which comprises aplurality of user computing devices 910, 920, and 930, a communicationsnetwork 940, a service provider 950, and a wireless trail camera 960.The computing devices include, for example, an electronic tablet 910, asmart phone 920, and a laptop computer 930. The computing devices 910,920, and 930 can access and communicate with the service provider 950and the wireless trail camera 960 over the communications network 940.In some embodiments, the service provider 950 comprises a website thatis supported and maintained by a trail camera manufacturer, wherein theservice provider 950 provides access to a trail camera application 952to access and control the wireless trail camera 960. In someembodiments, the user can download the trail camera application 952 toone or more of the user's computing devices 910, 920, and 930 towirelessly access and control the wireless trail camera 960 over thecommunications network 940. In other embodiments, the trail cameraapplication 952 comprises a web application which can be accessed on awebsite of the service provider 950 to enable web-based access andcontrol of the trail camera 960.

The communications network 940 may comprise any known communicationsnetwork such as, a global computer network (e.g., the Internet), a widearea network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), an intranet, a satellitenetwork, a telephone or cable network, a cellular network (e.g., 3G, 4G(LTE), 5G), a wireless network such as Wi-Fi or WiMAX, or variousportions or combinations of these and other types of communicationsnetworks. In this regard, the term “network” as used herein is thereforeintended to be broadly construed so as to encompass a wide variety ofdifferent network arrangements, including combinations of multiplenetworks possibly of different types, which enable wirelesscommunications with the wireless trail camera 960.

The wireless trail camera 960 comprises a housing 970 (e.g., protectivecase), a visible light camera comprising a lens element 220, infraredLEDs 230 for flash illumination, light sensors 222, and a PIR motiondetector 240 comprising, e.g., a Fresnel lens cover 242, similar to theexemplary trail camera embodiments discussed above. The wireless trailcamera 960 comprises a back cover element 980 which is connected to thehousing 970 by a hinge element 982. The back cover element 980 can beopened to access a camera power supply (e.g., batteries), controlbuttons (e.g., an on/off button), and status LEDs which provide statusinformation of the wireless trail camera 960 regarding, e.g., batterypower level, network connectivity, user account status, etc.

The wireless trail camera 960 further comprises an antenna 990 (andinternal wireless transceiver circuity, cellular modem, etc.) to enablewireless communication with the wireless trail camera 960. The type ofantenna that is implemented will depend on the type of wirelessconnectivity (e.g., WiFi, cellular, Bluetooth, etc.) that is supportedby the wireless trail camera 960. For example, in some embodiments, theantenna 990 comprise a multiband omnidirectional antenna that is coupledto the housing 970 using a suitable connector (e.g., N connector).

FIG. 10 schematically illustrates an electronic system of wireless trailcamera which implements circuitry that is configured to sense anddisplay directional orientation and level position information for thetrail camera and wirelessly transmit such information to a computingdevice of a user, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Morespecifically, FIG. 10 illustrate an electronic system 1000 which can beimplemented in the wireless trail camera 960 of FIG. 9 . The electronicsystem 1000 comprises a circuit board 1010 which comprises various ICchips and electronic components such as processors 511, visible lightcamera circuity 512 (e.g., imager and read-out circuity), infrared LEDdriver circuitry 513, digital level circuitry 514, digital compasscircuitry 515, PIR motion sensor circuitry 516, memory 517 (volatile andnon-volatile memory), and a memory card 540, which are connected usingone or more internal busses 518 (e.g., system bus, frontside bus,expansion bus, and/or others suitable types of hardware busses) andassociated bridges. The IC chips and components 511, 512, 513, 514, 515,516, 517, 518, and 540 are the same or similar to those discussed abovein conjunction with FIG. 5 , so a detailed description of theconfiguration and functions of such components will not be repeated.

In addition, to support wireless connectivity and communication, theelectronic system 1000 comprises cellular modem 1120, a subscriberidentification module (SIM) card 1130, and a wireless transceiver 1140.In some embodiments, the cellular modem 1120 is utilized to enablecellular connectivity to the wireless trail camera 960 using a cellularcommunications network (e.g., Cellular 3G, 4G (LTE) and/or 5G cellularnetwork service). The cellular modem 1120 can be a Peripheral ComponentInterconnect (PCI) card or PCI express (PCIe) card that plugs into a PCIor PCIe slot in the circuit board 1010. In other embodiments, asatellite modem is utilized instead of, or in addition to, the cellularmodem 1120, to enable wireless communication using a satellitecommunications network.

The SIM card 1130 is implemented in conjunction with the cellular modem1120 to enable wireless communication over a cellular communicationsnetwork. The SIM card 1130 comprises an IC chip that is configured tostore a unique identification number (e.g., ICCID), a phone number, andother information associated with the consumer. The ICCID (IntegratedCircuit Card ID) is a globally unique serial number that uniquelyidentifies the SIM card 1130.

The wireless transceiver 1140 is implemented to enable wirelesscommunication on a wireless local area network (e.g., a Wi-Fi network).The wireless transceiver 1140 can be implemented using standard orproprietary wireless protocols. For example, in some embodiments, thewireless transceiver 1140 implements one or more wireless networkingstandards in the 802.11 set of protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi 802.11). In someembodiments, the wireless transceiver 1140 implements other wirelessprotocols such as Bluetooth or near field communication (NFC) to enableshort-range wireless communication with the wireless trail camera 960.It is to be understood that depending on the desired wirelesscapabilities, the wireless transceiver 1140 can be implemented inconjunction with, or in place of, the cellular modem 1120, to supportwireless connectivity with the wireless trail camera 960.

In other embodiments, although not shown in FIGS. 5 and 10 , theelectronic systems 500 and 1000 can include other types of sensors suchas temperature sensors, humidity sensors, and other types ofenvironmental sensors, etc., which are utilized to record environmentalconditions that exist at times when images and videos are recorded bythe associated trail camera. In addition, in some embodiments, theelectronic systems 500 and 1000 of FIGS. 5 and 10 can implement Geo-tagGPS (global positioning system,) tagging capabilities to keep track ofthe location of the associated trail camera to, e.g., protect againsttheft of the trail camera.

In some embodiments, unlike the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 , thewireless trail camera 960 does not include an electronic display (e.g.,LCD) screen or control buttons to control functionalities of thewireless trail camera 960. Instead, a user will access and control thefunctions of the wireless trail camera 960 through an application userinterface of the trail camera application 952 which is downloaded fromthe service provider 950 and which executes on the user's computingdevice (e.g., smart phone 920). When a user purchases the wireless trailcamera 960, the user will commence a registration process with, e.g.,the service provider 950 to register the wireless trail camera 960,establish a registered user account, download the trail cameraapplication 952 which enables remote access to trail camera controls andimage/video management, and select a given data plan to activate andutilize the cellular communication functions of the wireless trailcamera (assuming that the wireless trail camera supports cellularconnectivity).

During the registration process, the user will upload a cameraidentification code to the service provider 950, which uniquelyidentifies the wireless trail camera 960. For example, in someembodiments, the camera identification code will be a bar code which isaccessible by opening the back cover 980 of the wireless trail camera960. The bar code is any type of static one-dimensional ormulti-dimensional bar code such as a UPC (Universal Product Code)barcode or a QR code (Quick Response Code), which uniquely identifiesthe wireless trail camera 960. In some embodiments, the cameraidentification code comprises a globally unique mobile equipmentidentifier (MEID) or International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI),which uniquely identifies the wireless trail camera 960.

Furthermore, during the registration process, in embodiments where thewireless trail camera 960 supports cellular wireless communication, theuser can select a given wireless data plan to enable wireless access andcontrol of the trail camera 960 using cellular wireless communications.The type of wireless data plans will vary depending on the manufactureservice provider of the trail camera. For example, the wireless dataplans can be implemented based on, e.g., payment of a monthly fee, whichcan include unlimited data or a maximum allocated amount of data (e.g.,downloaded images and/or video), etc. Some service providers can providefree wireless data plans for up to a certain number (e.g., 100) ofdownloaded images. The wireless data plan for a given wireless trailcamera can be linked to the camera IMEI and/or the SIM card ICCID.

When the user account is established, images and videos can betransmitted from the wireless trail camera 960 directly to a computingdevice (e.g., tablet 910, smart phone 920, and/or laptop computer 930)of the user. The trail camera application 952 can be used for access tocamera controls and image management. For example, a user can utilizethe trail camera application 952 to perform functions such as (i)managing account settings and user preferences; (ii) monitoring datausage and data plans; (iii) adjusting and controlling various settingsof the wireless trail camera, (iv) configuring settings for automatictransmission of captured images and/or videos (e.g., instant or delayedtransmission); and (v) viewing and organizing captured images andvideos.

In accordance with embodiments of the disclosure, the trail cameraapplication 952 is configured to provide one or more user interfaceswhich allow a user to activate the digital level circuitry 514 and/orthe digital compass circuitry 515 when mounting the wireless trailcamera 960 to a fixed object (e.g., tree), and have camera levelnessinformation and directional orientation information wirelesslytransmitted in real-time from the wireless trail camera 960 to theuser's computing device (e.g., smart phone) as the user is setting thewireless trail camera into proper position (e.g., strapping the wirelesstrail camera to a tree). For example, in some embodiments, the trailcamera application 952 is configured to render and display thedirectional orientation information and camera levelness information ona display screen of the user's computing device (e.g., smart phone) inthe same or similar manner as shown in FIGS. 7, 8A and 8B. In thisconfiguration, the user can view the directional orientation andlevelness information that is displayed on the screen of the user'scomputing device as the user is maneuvering the wireless trail camera960 into the desired position.

In some embodiments, the levelness and directional orientationinformation can be wirelessly transmitted from the wireless trail camera960 to the user's computing device using Bluetooth or NFC. In thisinstance, it is assumed that the computing device (e.g., smart phone)that is being utilized by the user to set the wireless trail camera 960in position is in close proximity to the wireless trail camera 960 suchthat the trail camera 960 and user computing device can be wirelesslylinked using Bluetooth or NFC to enable wireless transmission of thelevelness and directional orientation information from the wirelesstrail camera 960 to the user's computing device without the need toutilize the cellular or Wi-Fi communications network. In instances wherethe trail camera 960 and/or user computing device do not implementBluetooth or NFC, the camera levelness and directional orientationinformation can be wirelessly transmitted from the wireless trail camera960 to the user's computing device over the cellular or WiFicommunications network.

Following the initial mounting of the trail camera, when the user islocated remote from the wireless trail camera 960, the user can utilizethe trail camera application 952 to obtain current, real-timeinformation regarding the camera levelness and camera directionalorientation information to ensure that the wireless trail camera remainsin the desired position. For instance, overtime, the wireless trailcamera may slightly or significantly move out of position due to, e.g.,the loosening of the camera mounting strap, the camera being hit byflying debris in wind, etc. In this manner, the user can remotely trackthe positioning of the wireless trail camera to ensure that the trailcamera remains relatively level, etc.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have beendescribed herein with reference to the accompanying figures, it is to beunderstood that the disclosure is not limited to those preciseembodiments, and that various other changes and modifications may bemade therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scopeof the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. A trail camera comprising: a protective case; a camera fixedly disposed within the protective case; and at least one bubble level integrally disposed on or within a surface of the protective case; wherein the at least one bubble level is configured to enable vertical leveling of the trail camera.
 2. The trail camera of claim 1, wherein the at least one bubble level is integrally disposed on or within a sidewall surface of the protective case.
 3. The trail camera of claim 1, wherein the at least one bubble level is integrally disposed on or within a front side surface of the protective case.
 4. The trail camera of claim 1, wherein the at least one bubble level is integrally disposed on or within an upper surface of the protective case.
 5. The trail camera of claim 1, wherein the at least one bubble level comprises a first bubble level that is integrally disposed on or within a sidewall surface of the protective case and a second bubble level that is integrally disposed on or within a front side surface of the protective case.
 6. The trail camera of claim 1, wherein the at least one bubble level comprises a first bubble level that is integrally disposed on or within a first surface of the protective case and a second bubble level that is integrally disposed on or within a second surface of the protective case, wherein the first and second bubble levels are disposed orthogonally to each other.
 7. The trail camera of claim 1, wherein the at least one bubble level comprises a circular bubble level disposed on or within an upper surface of the protective case.
 8. A trail camera comprising: a protective case; a camera fixedly disposed within the protective case; and a magnetic compass integrally disposed on or within a surface of the protective housing to provide directional orientation information with respect to viewing direction of the camera.
 9. The trail camera of claim 8, wherein the magnetic compass is disposed on or within an upper surface of the protective case. 